The Backward Compatibility program has quickly become a hallmark feature of the Xbox family, and we love seeing people discover (or rediscover!) games they may have missed the first time around. Gamers have played over 1 billion hours of Xbox 360 and Original Xbox games on Xbox One – and we think our new release is only going to keep that momentum going.

Starting today, four new Xbox 360 titles will be available enhanced for Xbox One X: the historic collection of Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, Portal: Still Alive, Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2. Whether players are revisiting these iconic titles or experiencing them for the first time, they’ll see them with the stunning visuals only the Xbox One X can deliver.

Xbox 360 games enhanced for Xbox One X run at a higher resolution and 9X the original pixel count. The power of Xbox One X enables the Xbox 360 emulator to showcase the very best version possible with the existing assets—all without touching the game code. Today’s additions join the 17 previously released enhanced Xbox 360 titles like Red Dead Redemption and Skate 3 for a total of 21 Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 games.

Compatibility is important to Xbox, to developers and their games, and our community. Preserving gaming classics is part of the Backward Compatibility DNA, which is why Xbox One is the only console designed to play the best games of the past, present and future. We’ll continue to deliver on our vision of compatibility and grow our current Backward Compatible library, which includes more than 500 Xbox 360 games, 21 Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 titles, and 32 Original Xbox games, delivering quality, legacy gaming content to Xbox One gamers around the world.

Earlier today, we aired episode two of Inside Xbox, as we continue to pull back the curtain on Team Xbox to celebrates our games, our features, and our fans. This episode was jam-packed full of everything you could want from a show like this, including the latest on our Xbox Backward Compatibility offerings, exciting news about Xbox FanFest at E3 2018, the debut of new console features, and an appearance from a very special guest. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest news coming out of this month’s episode of Inside Xbox. Watch the whole show in the player above or on our YouTube channel.

Xbox Backward Compatibility

Bill Stillwell came on the show to reveal our next big batch of original Xbox backward compatible games, including beloved titles like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Jade Empire, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, and many more. He also unveiled some brand-new Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 titles, including Gears of War 2, Darksiders, Portal 2, and more. For complete details, check out our full blog post on today’s Xbox One Backward Compatibility announcement.

Xbox FanFest at E3 2018

Xbox FanFest guy Chris Munson appeared on today’s show to offer the first details on Xbox FanFest at E3, including details on how tickets will be handled and a sneak peek at some of the great swag that awaits attendees. We’ve got a full post breaking down all of the details on Xbox FanFest at E3 2018, so check it out if you’re interested in joining us.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Season 2

Yesterday, in a blog post from Ubisoft, we highlighted the first big content update for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Season 2. On today’s show, we had an appearance from a very special guest: Sam Fisher himself, actor Michael Ironside!

PUBG Interview

Developer Brendan Greene and musician Deadmau5 appeared on the show to talk about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One, sharing that there will be a free trial of the game during Xbox Live Gold’s Free Play Days beginning Thursday, April 19. Fans will be able to play the full Xbox Game Preview version of the game, including all modes. There’s also some new DLC for the game, giving players some exclusive new clothes to customize their character. For more information on both the upcoming free play weekend and the all-new DLC, give today’s PUBG blog post a read.

Today’s episode featured the debut of a brand-new trailer from Overkill’s The Walking Dead, as well as a chat with the executive producer about what fans can expect in the upcoming cooperative FPS. To check out the trailer for yourself, head on over to the Xbox YouTube channel.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in! We hope you enjoyed the show and we can’t wait to tell you all about next month’s episode in a few weeks.

Phil Spencer, Head of Gaming at Xbox, discusses a major update to the Xbox Game Pass program. Details below:

When we launched Xbox Game Pass in June 2017, we knew we wanted to craft a service with gamers in mind. That meant a diverse, expanding library of over 100 games and counting, matched with one monthly price and unlimited access to download and play full-fidelity experiences.

We’ve been blown away by the incredible response. Following launch, we heard from fans around the world who wanted Xbox Game Pass in their country. In September, we expanded globally and Xbox Game Pass is now available to fans in 40 countries. We’ve also continued to expand the catalog with new games added to the Xbox Game Pass library every month, so there is always something new to play.

We know our fans value having a variety of games to play at a low monthly price. We’ve also heard from fans that the ability to play new blockbuster games in Xbox Game Pass is important. So we’ve continued to explore new ideas to make this possible.

Today, we’re excited to announce plans for a major expansion to Xbox Game Pass that underscores our commitment to deliver our fans the ultimate gaming subscription service.

Moving forward, we plan to release all new Xbox One exclusive games from Microsoft Studios into Xbox Game Pass on the same date as their global release. This means that when Sea of Thieves launches on March 20, it will be included in Xbox Game Pass to all members.

This plan to bring new games timed with their global release into Xbox Game Pass not only includes announced titles like Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Crackdown 3 but future unannounced games from Microsoft Studios including new iterations of our biggest Xbox One exclusive franchises such as Halo, Forza and Gears of War, on the same day they launch.

Our fans have also asked for more choice in the subscription offerings available for Xbox Game Pass. As part of today’s library expansion, we are also pleased to announce that we are working closely with our retail partners, such as GameStop, to offer a 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card for those fans who look for a variety of ways to purchase and enjoy new games and services. The 6-month Xbox Game Pass subscription card will be available at select retail partners for $59.99 beginning March 20. By working closely with retail partners, Xbox Game Pass will have valuable ambassadors in popular destinations for gamers to discover new and exciting games and enjoy community.

With the addition of more great games, new blockbuster releases and a new subscription offer, we are giving fans more choice and value in how they discover and enjoy games – purchase games for their permanent library or play through Xbox Game Pass for one low price.

We’ve only scratched the surface of the opportunity this new model brings to the industry and what we can deliver to our fans. We firmly believe Xbox Game Pass will be a catalyst to create new opportunities for game developers and publishers to innovate in the way games are developed and delivered, leading to entirely new ways to play.

We’re truly humbled by the incredible response we’ve received to date for Xbox Game Pass, and we look forward to offering an unprecedented choice and value with Xbox Game Pass this spring and beyond.